The government on Wednesday said the relaxation on fumigation and endorsement conditions for imported onions would be extended by a month till December 31.

In a letter to officials at the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage on Wednesday, the Agriculture Ministry said the restrictions had been lifted for one more month. On November 6, the ministry had relaxed the norms till November 30 .

"Such consignments of imported onions, which arrive in Indian ports without fumigation and endorsement to that effect on the PSC (phytosanitary certification) would be fumigated in India by the importer through an accredited treatment provider," the letter said.

The consignment would be inspected thoroughly by quarantine officials and released only if found free from pests and diseases of concern to India, it further said.

Besides, the consignments will not be subjected to additional inspection fees -- which is four times the normal inspection fee -- on account of non-compliance of conditions of the import under the PQ Order, the ministry instructed the ports.

With many parts of the country facing a severe shortage of onions, the government plans to import large quantities of the bulb from other countries, particularly from Afghanistan, Egypt and Turkey. The State-owned MMTC has also been told to import 1 lakh tonnes of onions at the earliest for distribution in the domestic market.

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